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Pope asks forgiveness for abuse

The “Year of the Priest” has come to an end, and in his homily in St. Peter’s to mark the occassion, Pope Benedict had some strong and clear comments about the sex abuse scandal, reported by Reuters:

Wearing white and gold vestments as he spoke to some 15,000 priests, Benedict said the year that was to have celebrated the priesthood had been marred because “the sins of priests came to light, particularly the abuse of the little ones.”

“We too insistently beg forgiveness from God and from the persons involved, while promising to do everything possible to ensure that such abuse will never occur again,” he said.

The pope went on to decry “sin within the Church” and promised the Church would do everything to properly evaluate priestly candidates.

However, some people were unhappy about what was not said. For example, victim groups say they want to hear him to talk about bishops and their responsibilities related to preventing abuse.

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Pope Benedict or his successor also has to address the massive conformism that prevents any hero from arising from within e.g. the magisterium during such crises. Are our Bishops and Cardinals so career oriented that speaking a hard saying to those above them is out of the question. Why didn’t any Cardinal in 1985 demand that a Pope protect children and fast? Christ is the ultimate non conforming individualist hero in Jerusalem’s temple when He makes a whip of cords and drives out the money changers from the gentile precincts of the temple..and He does it right away not after years of “prudent” hesitation. And Christ does that whipping action whether the pharisees like it or not; despite Christ noting that generally they are to be obeyed as sitting on the throne of Moses. We and our Cardinals and Bishops remembered the obedience part without remembering the epikeia part whereby Christ AND the disciples go against the pharisees repeatedly through epikeia. How did the magisterium get to the point of valuing obedience only; such that none of them stood out and demanded of a Pope that he act decades ago on this….like a St. Catherine of Sienna would have demanded of a Pope if he did not see it on his own.

bill bannon

bill bannon

Pammie

Goodness me, I’m afraid the dear Holy Father can never say enough or do enough to please everyone, everywhere. I try to remember to pray for him everyday as he has the weight of the world on his 84 year old shoulders. May he live long enough to accomplish well what Our Lord has for him to do.